


I'm Stuck in the Dark (But You're My Flashlight)

by Euphoriette



Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi, bonding is for losers, bondings gonna hit you so hard your man boobs will concave, gonna be a metric fuckton of relationships but the ones tagged are gonna be main, if the drabble speaks to you let it be real, jk theres gonna be bonding, your choice this time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-25 02:49:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14369283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Euphoriette/pseuds/Euphoriette
Summary: This is just a bunch of ficlets focusing on Naruto and his friends. It will cover interactions between them, little thoughts and happenings, just small things. Can be fluffy, sad, happy, anything. May also feature alternate universe shenanigans.





	1. Naruto

Blood falls like rain, and you scream and fight and cry and they are all crumbling away, they’re _gone_ -

Naruto often wakes up, a scream rising from his throat, his hands trembling and clutching for something to hold on to, something to ground him to the earth and sea so the sky can’t steal him away. He breathes erratic and heavy, misting in the air like a stain on a soul, and he can feel himself slipping; a lonely cloud to the wind.

Sometimes, Naruto just lets go and floats so far up and out he almost can’t find his way back.

_You killed them. You let them die._

Naruto has stopped denying it by now. He’s past hating himself.

But, sometimes, Naruto feels so awake. Awake when him and Sakura smile and nudge, tease and reminisce, cry and hold each other close. Awake when Sasuke holds him down like an ebony anchor to the world, and Naruto knows the sky won’t ever steal him away when Sasuke is there beside him.

They are right there, right beside him. Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Lee, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, even Neji (he’s crumbled and gone, but his soul still sings), everyone is an anchor, when Naruto’s wings threaten to carry him into the distance.

The horizon calls to him, but he can’t go, not yet.

Naruto decides he’ll stay. 

_Just a little bit longer._


	2. Sakura

Sakura was strong enough to break mountains, lift nations, piece together bone shards that stuck in her soul, and hear the screams of the sick and dying without flinching.

But, sometimes, when the wind whispered cold things to her, and the leaves seemed as still as death, Sakura Haruno would fall and shatter and break like a heart.

Her breathing would weigh heavy in her chest, and guilt would stick to her spine, bending her down to her knees, and she would splinter a little every day.

More times than Sakura can count, she had just wanted to swallow the shards and let them scar her beyond return.

But when her hand reached for them, something always stopped her. Sakura would turn like a blossom to the sun, and would see so many broken things before her and she would know she couldn’t leave before she put them back together.

So she would pull the guilt-knives out of her spine, let the heaviness bleed out of her chest, and would rise like a missing-piece crescent moon.

Strange how she can put anyone back together but herself.


	3. Acid in our Veins

I feel much better with acid in my veins

(It’s the match to my flame, oh yeah, the disgrace to my name)

God, I feel so much better, when it’s driving me insane

(It’s implanted in my brain, oh yeah, stuck with no escape)

Kids these days love wasting away

(Bred to be blamed, yeah, but we’ll never mend our ways)

But, kids these days, they’re weak enough to change

(Not really, not really, we’ll always stay the same)

When the war dogs come, they’ll be ready to fight

(We’ll be waiting in the sidelines, watching you die)

When the war dogs come, it’s going to be fine

(We’ll watch you throw away your lives)

‘Cause they’re poisoned enough to hurt the world

(We love to watch it burn)

Once it’s over, your eyes will be glazed

(High on the adrenaline haze)

Don’t be afraid, it’ll be okay

(We’ll make them pay)

Don’t you know we have that

(Don’t you know we’re born with)

Acid 

(In our veins)


	4. It's Going to be Okay

It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay

(If we go any farther, I’m sure we’ll break)

Just stay here, let it last

(We are made of glass, and it’s all rushing past)

Just love the world before it hurts you

(I wish the world would love me back)

Before you are stuck writing poetry, come back to me

(Before you are stuck penning songs, just stop and breathe)

Just taste the breeze, feel the blood on your knees

(Hold onto this moment, be at peace)

I’m alright, here with you

(I’ll be fine, here with you)

I’ve got tears on my hands, and war paint on my face

(The soldiers have healed, don’t be afraid)

Sometimes, I want to fall, shatter, and cry

(I get it, sometimes we all want to die)

Pull yourself together now

(It’s going to get better now)

It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay

(We’ll be infinite, we’ll stop time and space)

It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay

(We are heroes, forever and always)


	5. Gaara

Sometimes Gaara feels something in his soul, distant and strange, tugging on his psyche like iron to a magnet, calling him away from everything.

Shukaku feels it too, tells Gaara that there is something beyond the desert, something great.

Don’t get him wrong, Gaara wants it so bad. All he wants to do is run up into the sun, answer the call, and feel the wild tugging on his heartstrings; an intrinsic rhythm. Like a heartbeat but _so much more than that_.

Shukaku’s sick for it, sick of Gaara, but Shukaku can’t leave, he’s tethered to the redhead. Stuck and dying, withering to an empty shell with nothing to fill the space between.

Gaara can feel himself becoming feral, waxing savage and fierce. He’s already managed to turn his sand to glass, already skewered some of them through. 

After seeing the shards like rubies, Gaara vows to never use the technique again.

Gaara breaks his vow so many times it’s almost ridiculous.

He is so diseased and rotten, he _needs it_ , needs the strange thing beyond the Sand, the Leaf, the Cloud, the Mist, and the Stone.

When Gaara no Sabaku is older, wiser, and numb to feeling, he’ll find the call so loud he can’t hear anything else.

He’s long gone now, love. You won’t find him, not unless it calls to you. Don’t listen to it, block it out.

Don’t let it ruin you like it ruined him.


	6. Gone, Dead, and then Some.

Sasuke can’t believe it.

_Not possible._

But he sees it flashing in Uzumaki’s eyes, coloring them red and _hateful_.

He’s done. 

He’s turning, stepping away.

He’s gone.

Sasuke falls to his knees, crumbles and breaks. Hands to his face, his eyes, tugging on his hair.

_How could he?_

Suddenly, Sasuke is so angry. So, so angry at Naruto. He wants to run forward and stab his katana through him, shatter his heart, slam Naruto down and never let him go.

Because Naruto belongs to Sasuke and Sasuke belongs to Naruto and that is _common knowledge_.

Until Naruto isn’t his anymore, _isn’t there any longer_ , is tired of living for Sasuke, and has decided to live for himself.

Naruto’s free, and Sasuke’s in chains.

Now, Sasuke’s half-dead, because there isn’t anyone to fill the other half of him any longer, no day to his night, no dust to his ashes.

In seconds, Sasuke Uchiha is dust to ashes, because Naruto was his fire, and Naruto has stopped burning.

And Sasuke is dead.

He’s flickering out.

He’s falling like rain, bleached away.

He’s gone.


	7. Falling for You

One day, I was really young

(I was much too old.)

But you were _really_ young

(The truest kind of young)

And I took one look at you

(And fell so hard and far into something I can’t even explain)

I don’t what the hell I fell into

(All I know is that it is so strong and huge, it has _become_ me)

Mother would always say _If you fall, please fall with grace_

( _Don’t let your dignity fall with you_ )

But you are neither dignified or graceful

(That is the reason why you make me _feel_ so much)

All I want to do is meld us together

(One thing, one being)

So it can be just us

(Us as far as anyone can see)


	8. It Counts

He stares, unblinking at the sunset, legs dangling over the edge of a cliff, taunting fate like he always does.

The wind carries his feet, making them swing like a child’s, but Sasuke Uchiha is too old, much much too old to care about looking ike a child.

So he scoots forward, legs a little farther over the edge, because Sasuke knows Death wouldn’t dare fuck with him. Death has hated him from the start, hating him like the plague, because he is the rat to the disease, and owns Death like a dog.

Even as he hears footsteps behind him, Sasuke doesn’t turn, because if Death wouldn’t mess with him, why would Gaara?

He idly notices the redhead sitting some feet away from him.The Kazekage’s legs are tucked safely under him, because he knows Death.

Death loves him, comes running to him like a child to candy, and Gaara dare not tempt it.

Sasuke turns to the stoic redhead, and watches him. Waiting, leopardlike for something, but Gaara doesn’t notice him, and when the sunlight hits Gaara’s hair just right, the bloodred locks look torchlike. Red like flame, like fire to skin.

Sasuke can’t help but think he might burn himself if he touches the fiery locks.

Suddenly Gaara turns to face him, but Sasuke isn’t fazed by the jade shards in his gaze, just stares back with obsidian knives.

Then, to the Uchiha’s utter surprise, Sabaku no Gaara’s eyes soften just the tiniest bit and he fucking _smiles_.

Not even a smile, just the tiniest upward quirk of the corner of his mouth, but it’s enough to send the Uchiha reeling.

And the ice in his heart has probably melted from the blaze flickering in Gaara’s hair or something, because Sasuke's mouth curves like a feather to the breeze, _smiling back_.

Just a little.

But it counts.


	9. Know How Much it Hurts

Your life isn’t yours

(It is everyone else’s life as well)

You don’t know how many hearts you have selfishly stolen

(How many lives you have tainted)

You may not know it now, but you are unforgettable

(You are endless)

Even if you die

(The souls you have touched will be stained with you)

And you will be everlasting

(You have carved yourself into me)

But I suppose I haven’t carved myself into you

(I wish I had, then you would know how much it hurts)


	10. I've Got a Feeling in this Town that I Won't Live 'til I Live Down

Kiba liked to think of himself as a hero. Bold, brave, strong, everything he has ever wanted to be.

But everything he wasn’t.

He was second best, not even second best, fading into the distance. Hokage? Who is he kidding, he’ll never be Hokage.

Sometimes Kiba would just curl up and sob, like a dog, baying and keening, high and low. 

Sometimes Kiba would lock himself in the shower and howl just to hear the sound echo lonely and longing around him.

Mostly, Kiba would just stand back and stare at the others, others so much better than him, so bold, brave, and strong. Pillars of strength, shining examples, war-banners that people would follow without question.

People who were everything he wasn’t.

Kiba’s different. Sure he is part of a pack, wolf clan blood running through his veins. But, Kiba was never an alpha, he is an omega. Crawling low to the ground, in pastels of gray, overshadowed by a light he can never be one with.

Until Kiba finds someone else, a slinking cat, smirking and sharp-tongued. What would his pack say if they saw him now, falling for a black-hooded, nimble feline?

Kankuro gets it, he gets being in the background.

_People always think about the puppets, not their master. Not the one who pulls the strings. I know that’s how it’s s’posed to be, but it pisses th’ fuck outta me. I want them to see me, but I’m too secretive for anyone to know any of my secrets. That’s the truth of it, and I have to live with it._

And suddenly, Kiba knew he loved Kankuro. He loved his sad smirks, teasing and sorrowful. He was snagged and pulled, chakra heartstrings, tangling him up.

But Kankuro’s too secretive for anyone to know his secrets, so Kiba’s in pastel gray all over again. _It wasn’t going to happen anyway_ , Kiba sobs quietly.

He sucks in a deeps breath, dries his tears in Akamaru’s fur and he’s all smiles.

Smiles, shadows, and greys, overshadowed by a light he was never part of in the first place.


	11. Let Them Love, Let Them Hate, I'll Care Either Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becoming a wind shadow is harder than he thought, but in the end, Gaara's knows it's worth it.

Gaara sits still as a stone and alive as a bird, waiting.

It’s coming. It’s there, everything he’s worked toward, what he has dreamed of since the day he had stopped dreaming of blood. He can see it blue and white and powerful before him, it’s calling, and Gaara’s wants it _so bad_.

Maybe he wasn’t born for it, but Kami be damned, he’s ready for it.

Just the last step, the foot moved forward by the people, one last step is all it will take.

Gaara doesn’t even know if that final step will be for him; the democracy calls and claws like wildcats.

Today’s the day, he’s in daze, and even Shukaku’s getting slap-happy, blabbering encouragement and insults at turns. Forcing himself up, Gaara wills his legs to move, and out the door he goes, too far gone to turn back now. Walking to the election hall is like walking to the gallows.

His sister and brother are the only things clear in his vision. Temari is calm, giving him advice and comfort, Kankuro is loud and hyper, giving him noogies and hugs, and Gaara’s tongue is stuck with love for them.

Here goes nothing, and here goes everything. His palms are clammy, and Gaara fidgets endlessly, the ticking of the clock ringing loud in his ears, louder and louder.

Time flies as the votes are counted, and the shuffling of paper is driving him mad. His knuckles are bruised from biting, and he’s eating his lips he’s so nervous-

The last ballot falls like it’s been weighted, and silence is thick in the veins of the crowd.

He hears his name, and the silence breaks and explodes outward into laughter and cheering. His pack, his pride, all _his_ , and Gaara bares his fangs in a grin like the alpha he is.

Shukaku’s going spare, Temari smiles like she knew all along, and Kankuro has fucking confetti at the ready, jumping up and slinging it around at his fancy. Everyone is going spare at this point, and Gaara’s made of Suna and seals; the wind shadow is finally his.  
_________

Far away, across deserts and forests, Naruto Uzumaki stirs a little, the rough sharpness of Kurama’s voice cutting through his psyche.

Sand, no- _Suna_ , Shukaku’s freaking out, and Gaara is-

A wind shadow, and Naruto _realizes_ , grinning. 

“Sandy bastard. I’ll catch up to you, ya know! Just wait, you’ll see me, a fire shadow, just you wait-"

And Naruto bares his fangs, like the alpha he’s destined to be.


	12. We Don't Have to Say "Love", 'Cause the Words Only Get in the Way

Shikamaru’s never been the type of person to kiss, to hug, to blush. It’s such a _drag_ to be in love, and he already has way too much fish to fry, way too many z’s to catch. No time for dating, no time for drinking the same milkshake with a special someone, because love is definitely not worth germs.  
___

Temari’s never had time for love, she thinks it’s gross anyway. Smooching, cuddling, promises of undying affection. Not her style. She’s a girl of action. Fight scenes and combat are her niche. She’s the desert and the sun, burning, harsh, made of grit and war and gale force.  
___

But, all of a sudden, this sandy-haired, green-eyed, knife-toothed _whirlwind_ comes out of nowhere, snarking and smirking, and much too troublesome for Shikamaru, but just troublesome enough to be interesting. The gleam of her teeth, her rough windblown voice. Way, way too interesting for Shikamaru to ignore.  
___

But, all of a sudden, this spiky-haired, squinting, easygoing little _prick_ comes out of nowhere, pushing all of her buttons simultaneously, yawning and lazy. But a keen glint in his slitted eyes snags Temari and drags her in, like the tide to the Moon, the center of a storm. Temari’s caught and for the first time in her life, helpless.  
___

And, in the blink of an eye, they are caught up in each other, shadows and storms, snapping and clawing, but never at throats. Just pulling each others heartstrings, like a cat-and-mouse game, ensnaring each other. They say it’s not love, they hate it being called love, though it is. More like romantic rivalry. Like a slightly sappy, but mostly intense game of shogi that neither side can win at.

Really though, through the snarking and sneering, they’re at each others side, always having the others back.

It’s a strange kind of love.

But, honestly, they wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
